The present invention relates to a pet type toy copying the form of an animal or the like, or a pet type game machine using a display imitating the configuration of an animal or the like.
There has been known a pet type toy provided with mechanisms for moving a mouth or a tail, etc. in the main body of a sewed-up toy copying an animal.
Further, there has been also known a portable electronic pet toy raised by giving food to a pet displayed on a display as an image in a simulating manner.
In the conventional sewed-up pet toys, there have been provided various forms of pet toys which operate in response to specific operations using batteries or spiral springs or the like as power sources, however, they have only mechanically repeated simple reactions.
Still further, in the case of a recently prevailing electronic toy, an unification feeling exists between an owner and a virtual pet housed in the electronic toy because of its portable form, however, when the toy itself is delivered to another person, an idea of a specific breeder (owner) of the toy becomes ambiguous.
In the above described conventional pet type toy, there has been encountered a problem that an owner cannot feel such interchange of feelings as can be seen in the relation between a real pet (true) and the owner and a special relation cannot formed between an operator or the owner and the virtual pet.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above described problems of the conventional pet type toy and provide a virtual pet device in which a special relation can be established between an operator or an owner and a virtual pet and a sense more similar to a real pet can be obtained.
Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide a recording medium in which a control program of the virtual pet device is stored.
According to the present invention, there is provided a virtual pet device adapted to suitably respond to an external stimulation comprising: an input means for externally inputting a stimulation; a recognizing means for recognizing the stimulation inputted by the input means and a control means for controlling the response operation of the device on the basis of the recognized result by the recognizing means, the control means analyzing the inputted stimulation and identifying an individual who inputs the stimulation. According to the present invention, the stimulation by an operator is analyzed to identify the individual who generates the stimulation so that a special relation is established between the virtual pet and the operator. Thus, an intimate relation similar to the relation between a true pet and an owner can be produced between both the virtual pet and the operator.
The input means may be a voice input device. In this case, the operator can be identified in accordance with voice given by the operator, for instance, words and phrases.
Further, the input means may be an image input device. In this case, the operator can be identified in accordance with, for instance, the image of the face of the operator or the like.
Further, a virtual pet device preferably further comprises a memory means provided so as to identify unspecified many persons who input stimulations for storing the value of degree of recognition of each person who inputs the stimulation corresponding to the input and respond only to a person high in his recognition frequency.
According to this configuration, the voices or the images of the faces of unspecified many persons are individually recognized and an operator with high recognition frequency is determined so that a response action can be given only to an operator who most frequently comes into contact with the virtual pet. Therefore, the relation between the special operator and the virtual pet can be made more intimate. When a voice such as words and phrases is inputted, if frequency is stored individually on the basis of a unit of recognized words and phrases in respect of a recognition frequency, an individual corresponding relation can be established for each word and phrase.
Further, a virtual pet device preferably further comprises a memory means provided so as to identify unspecified many persons who input stimulations for storing the value of degree of recognition of each person who inputs the stimulation corresponding to the input and give no response to the input the value of degree of recognition of which is relatively lowered. According to this configuration, a response may not be given to the input whose relative value of degree of recognition is lowered and a feeling of actuality can be improved, because an operation that knowledge (memory) is forgotten is generated like real living things. Further, since the virtual pet learns again, for instance, words and phrases as the input of voice (increase the value of degree of recognition) so that the virtual pet responds again to the inputs, the operator can effectively obtain more a feeling of satisfaction.
Further, a virtual pet device may comprise a memory means provided so as to identify unspecified many persons who input stimulations for storing the value of degree of recognition of each person who inputs the stimulation corresponding to the input and sequentially delete the inputs whose values of degree of recognition are relatively lowered.
Still further, a virtual pet device preferably further comprises a memory means provided so as to identify unspecified many persons who input stimulations for storing the value of degree of recognition of each person who inputs the stimulation corresponding to the input and change a response action to the same input depending on a person who inputs the stimulation and the value of degree of recognition. According to this configuration, different reactions can be presented even to the same words and phrases in accordance with, for instance, the difference in the values of degrees of words and phrases or operators, so that a virtual pet device with high actuality can be provided.
Still further, a virtual pet device preferably further comprises a memory means for storing the date of an input for each person who inputs the stimulation to change a response action depending on the lapse of time from the date of a final input.
Still further, a virtual pet device preferably includes a plurality of preset basic actions and the combination of words and phrases corresponding to each action so as to newly set the relation between a series of actions obtained by combining the basic actions together and the words and phrases corresponding thereto. Thus, the corresponding relation between a plurality of combinations of the basic actions and the new words and phrases can be set and a more complicated response action can be achieved. Therefore, a user can acquire a sense as if the user actually trained a real pet.
Still further, in a recording medium for storing a control program of a virtual pet according to the present invention, the control program is adapted to recognize a signal inputted from a stimulation inputting means as a stimulation, control a response action on the basis of the recognized result, analyze the stimulation thus recognized and identify an individual who inputs the stimulation.
In the recording medium, can be stored a program for controlling to recognize a voice signal serving as the input signal as a stimulation.
Further, in the recording medium, can be stored a program for controlling to recognize an image signal serving as the input signal as a stimulation.
Still further, in the recording medium, a program can be stored for controlling to identify unspecified many persons who input stimulations by analyzing the stimulations, store the value of degree of recognition of each person who inputs the stimulation corresponding to the input and respond only to a person who inputs the stimulation high in his recognition frequency.
Still further, in the recording medium, a program can be stored for controlling to identify unspecified many persons who input stimulations by analyzing the stimulations, store the value of degree of recognition of each person who inputs the stimulation corresponding to the input and give no response to the input whose value of degree of recognition is relatively lowered.
Still further, in the recording medium, a program can be stored for controlling to identify unspecified many persons who input stimulations by analyzing the stimulations, store the value of degree of recognition of each person who inputs the stimulation corresponding to the input and sequentially delete inputs whose values of degrees of recognition are relatively lowered.
Still further, in the recording medium, a program can be stored for controlling to identify unspecified many persons who input stimulations by analyzing the stimulations, store the value of degree of recognition of each person who inputs the stimulation corresponding to the input and change a response action to the same input depending on persons who input the stimulations and the values of degrees of recognition.
Furthermore, in the recording medium, a program can be stored for controlling to identify unspecified many persons who input stimulations by analyzing the stimulations, store the input date of each person who inputs the stimulation corresponding to the input and change a response action depending on the lapse of time from the date of a final input.
Besides, in the recording medium, can be stored a program including a plurality of preset basic actions and the combination of words and phrases corresponding to each action and controlling to newly set the relation between a series of actions obtained by combining the basic actions together and the words and phrases corresponding thereto.
In this case, for instance, when the input means is a voice input device, the above described input designates words and phrases, and when the input means is an image input device, it indicates the image of a face or the like.